This invention relates to the repair of divots.
The invention relates particularly to a method of repairing divots and to a divot repair body for use in this method.
The repair of divots, for example, in the playing surface of a golf course, made by golfers while playing the game of golf, is both labour intensive and time consuming. Golf course greens staff often use expensive and/or labour intensive methods such as scooping a growing material, usually sand, from buckets, bags and vehicles. By means of a spade or by hand, the sand is then deposited into and around divots formed in the playing surface. Certain golf clubs require golfers to carry sand bags with them and to fill divots made by them in the playing surface of their golf course. Such sand bags are both cumbersome and messy and the sand obtained from sand bins which are provided at such courses is often soggy and difficult to handle. Furthermore, research has shown that in spite of golfers carrying sand bags at golf clubs which require them to do so, the sand bags are often not filled for the reasons set out hereinabove.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to ameliorate many of the problems associated with the repairing of divots made by golfers in the playing surface of a golf course. It is a particular object of the invention to provide a method that can be implemented by golfers themselves for easily repairing divots made by them in the playing surface of a golf course, as well as to provide divot repair means for use in conjunction with this method.
Any reference hereinafter to the repair of a divot must be interpreted as a method of repairing a divot made by a golfer in the playing surface of a golf course.
According to the invention there is provided a method of repairing a divot which includes the steps of:
providing a divot repair body which comprises a particulate growing material moulded into a consolidated mass;
depositing the divot repair body into a divot to be repaired; and
crushing the divot repair body and spreading the particulate growing material within the divot, to thereby fill the divot.
The method of the invention particularly may include, prior to depositing the divot repair body into the divot to be repaired, retrieving grass that was removed when the divot was formed and locating the grass in the divot.
The particulate material forming the divot repair body that is provided in conjunction with the method of the invention particularly is sand. The sand may be dyed green with a colouring agent.
Furthermore, a binding agent may bind the particulate growing material into its consolidated mass into which it is moulded, to form the divot repair body that is provided. The binding agent may be hydrous aluminium silicate.
The consolidated mass forming the divot repair body that is provided in accordance with the method of the invention may be moulded into any one of a plurality of different shapes and sizes, which are determined by at least one of the intended packaging mode of the body, the mode of handling of the body and the required quantity of growing material to be included in the body.
Still further in accordance with the method of the invention, the particulate growing material forming the divot repair body that is provided may include a nutrient with which it is moulded into the consolidated mass, which nutrient can serve to stimulate the growth of grass in a divot filled by the growing material.
The particulate growing material forming the divot repair body that is provided also may include a pH adjusting substance with which it is moulded into the consolidated mass, which pH adjusting substance serves to adjust the pH of the growing material to a level required by the grass with which the body is intended to be used.
Still further, the particulate growing material forming the divot repair body that is provided, in accordance with the method of the invention, may include grass seeds with which it is moulded into the consolidated mass.
The invention extends also to a divot repair body for use in a method of repairing a divot, which comprises a particulate growing material moulded into a consolidated mass that can be deposited into a divot in a grass covered surface and then be crushed to spread the growing material and thereby fill the divot.
The growing material typically is sand, although it may also be any alternative growing material such as sand. The sand may be dyed green with a colouring agent to render it less visible when filling a divot in a grass covered surface.
A binding agent may bind the growing material in its consolidated mass form into which it is moulded, a typical binding agent being hydrous aluminium silicate. Alternative binding agents also are considered suitable for the purpose.
The consolidated mass forming the divot repair body may be moulded into any one of a plurality of different shapes and sizes, which are determined by at least one of the intended packaging mode of the body, the mode of handling of the body and the required quantity of growing material to be included in the body.
Further according to the invention, the particulate growing material may include a nutrient with which it is moulded into the consolidated mass, which nutrient can serve to stimulate the growth of grass in a divot filled by the growing material.
Furthermore, the particulate growing material may include a pH adjusting substance with which it is moulded into the consolidated mass, which pH adjusting substance may serve to adjust the pH of the growing material to a level required by the grass for which the body is intended to be used.
The particulate growing material also may include grass seeds with which it is moulded into the consolidated mass. The grass seeds clearly can germinate, after the application of the divot repair body within a divot, to induce the growth of new grass in the location of the divot.
It is envisaged that a divot repair body or a set of divot repair bodies can be provided in a suitably packaged form, which will facilitate the use of a body by a golfer in accordance with the method of the invention as above defined. Various different forms of packages are envisaged that can be conveniently carried by golfers and from which a divot repair body can be conveniently deposited into a divot for filling the divot with the growing material.